Atheist Nexus2016-12-09T15:58:00ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrrhttp://api.ning.com:80/files/kZzo8PgK6neQN4AfxW4EG8lio8WXn0XSgqGXhrjLcnz6wFQSa-7LXzOI*ItARRbbgifycjdTrRuWIx0iU2Ci9jHlOgwyAvvH/genericprofilepicture.png?width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://atheistnexus.org/group/hangwithfriends/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=0z30qxjhjxav0&feed=yes&xn_auth=noWhat Annoys God Most? (Betty Bowers)tag:atheistnexus.org,2016-11-30:2182797:Topic:27213392016-11-30T20:30:12.785ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p>Long story short, it's those near misses, the almost-but-not-quite, close but no cheroot moments, or, would you believe ... Near Death Experiences! So what's the big deal? Betty Bowers, America's BEST Christian and self-proclaimed expert on such matters, suggests you see it from Yahweh's point of view to better understand why he gets so pissed off.<br></br> <br></br> Probably best to let Betty spell it out for y'all.…<br></br>
<br></br>
</p>
<p>Long story short, it's those near misses, the almost-but-not-quite, close but no cheroot moments, or, would you believe ... Near Death Experiences! So what's the big deal? Betty Bowers, America's BEST Christian and self-proclaimed expert on such matters, suggests you see it from Yahweh's point of view to better understand why he gets so pissed off.<br/> <br/>
Probably best to let Betty spell it out for y'all.<br/>
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<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uVGvtW6Ou-s?wmode=opaque" allowfullscreen="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<br/>
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Have YOU Had YOUR Betty Today?</p> degrading love — part one (TheraminTrees)tag:atheistnexus.org,2016-11-17:2182797:Topic:27191812016-11-17T00:50:31.139ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p>Love is by many considered among the highest of positive emotions. Yet when love of the type offered by deities is examined, something seems to go seriously wrong. The love of Yahweh seems less a gift than a demand, not so much beneficence as a threat or Hobson's Choice ... at least when those of us who place no value on the emotions of a being who fails to exist turn a critical gaze toward it.<br></br><br></br>Our friend TheraminTrees has noticed this rather striking aberration as well. He's…</p>
<p>Love is by many considered among the highest of positive emotions. Yet when love of the type offered by deities is examined, something seems to go seriously wrong. The love of Yahweh seems less a gift than a demand, not so much beneficence as a threat or Hobson's Choice ... at least when those of us who place no value on the emotions of a being who fails to exist turn a critical gaze toward it.<br/><br/>Our friend TheraminTrees has noticed this rather striking aberration as well. He's undertaken an analysis of love which gods proffer, and once again, he demonstrates considerable insight in his investigation.<br/><br/>I should mention that this is Part One of a two-part video. I'll keep an eye out for when the conclusion comes available. Meantime, please enjoy.<br/><br/><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fqfe3HhzxG4?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p> Introducing Douglas Murraytag:atheistnexus.org,2016-11-07:2182797:Topic:27172522016-11-07T13:43:10.841ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p>Most of us who have been around atheism for a while know the heavyweights of our ilk. Names like Hitchens, Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Dillahunty and AronRa get nearly daily mention in posts and discussions on Atheist Nexus. One name I was completely unaware of until this morning, however, was one Douglas Murray, and that lack of awareness was solved by the arrival of a new video in the Subscriptions page of my YouTube account this morning. Like Christopher Hitchens, he is a writer, author…</p>
<p>Most of us who have been around atheism for a while know the heavyweights of our ilk. Names like Hitchens, Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Dillahunty and AronRa get nearly daily mention in posts and discussions on Atheist Nexus. One name I was completely unaware of until this morning, however, was one Douglas Murray, and that lack of awareness was solved by the arrival of a new video in the Subscriptions page of my YouTube account this morning. Like Christopher Hitchens, he is a writer, author and commentator. Also like the Hitch, he is plain-spoken, powerful, and crystalline clear in his expressions regarding religion and particularly Islam.<br/><br/>I herewith proffer one of Agatan Foundation's collections of some of Mr. Murray's more striking statements for your enjoyment and edification.<br/><br/><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fiTPqIpGKJU?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p> If There's a God - She's a Woman - The Author Ttag:atheistnexus.org,2016-11-02:2182797:Topic:27165522016-11-02T20:23:57.526ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p>I came across this story and thought some here might find it interesting and humorous.</p>
<p>It’s titled:</p>
<p>If There’s a God<br/>She’s a Woman<br/>From the Series:<br/>Things You Can Learn from a Vagina</p>
<p>Its on the website TheAuthorT.com under the tab, “Free to Read Stories.”</p>
<p>I didn’t know where to post it, so I posted it here. Hope that works.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://theauthort.com" target="_blank">http://theauthort.com</a></p>
<p>I came across this story and thought some here might find it interesting and humorous.</p>
<p>It’s titled:</p>
<p>If There’s a God<br/>She’s a Woman<br/>From the Series:<br/>Things You Can Learn from a Vagina</p>
<p>Its on the website TheAuthorT.com under the tab, “Free to Read Stories.”</p>
<p>I didn’t know where to post it, so I posted it here. Hope that works.</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://theauthort.com" target="_blank">http://theauthort.com</a></p> Ning, Error 500s, and Whether to Migratetag:atheistnexus.org,2016-11-01:2182797:Topic:27161152016-11-01T11:16:08.935ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p>I just got the following notice from Ning yesterday, (31 October, 2016), in the wake of this latest website outage:<br></br><br></br><em>As some of you may be aware, we experienced a system outage earlier this morning. The cause was due to a specific network configuration change that was made during our network maintenance window. Once we identified the issue, we quickly took corrective actions to restore service.</em><br></br><br></br><em>As a result of this outage, coupled with the sporadic system 500…</em></p>
<p>I just got the following notice from Ning yesterday, (31 October, 2016), in the wake of this latest website outage:<br/><br/><em>As some of you may be aware, we experienced a system outage earlier this morning. The cause was due to a specific network configuration change that was made during our network maintenance window. Once we identified the issue, we quickly took corrective actions to restore service.</em><br/><br/><em>As a result of this outage, coupled with the sporadic system 500 errors we've experienced over the last month, we are taking the following actions:</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em>We have kicked off a new Ning Environment System Upgrade Project.</em></li>
<li><em>Ning Interactive will invest in network hardware, servers, system/network redundancy and redesign the overall system architecture to stabilize the Ning application environment.</em></li>
<li><em>Once these upgrades are in place, we expect to have 100% system uptime coupled with improved overall system and network performance. </em></li>
<li><em>Our timeline to complete this project is December 31, 2016.</em></li>
</ul>
<p><br/>========================</p>
<p>Call me crazy, but I’m going to at least try to take them at their word here. I realize that these outages make us all crazy and perhaps some more than others. The fact remains that migrating as much of Atheist Nexus as is practical will also involve losing a LOT of what we’ve put into it to this date, and that should really be a last resort.<br/><br/>That said, I would like to propose the following: let’s give Ning to the end of the year to complete their renovation of their website and see if that cleans up the repeated problems we’ve been experiencing. If by that time the problems are largely if not completely solved, then we have ourselves a fait accompli. If not, then it’s time to start talking VERY seriously about getting completely away from Ning and onto a more reliable foundation.<br/><br/>The purpose of this entry is to provide a platform for discussion. So … let’s discuss!</p> A moment to relax and see the Earth from space; some how this comforts me.tag:atheistnexus.org,2016-10-16:2182797:Topic:27132072016-10-16T05:32:26.759ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p>All the squabbles and struggles that I have do not compare with those of some others on this great planet. There are no boundary lines, no political arguments, no up or no down. What is, is. For right now, the scenes offer tranquility. Just the photographer and camera and me. This day has been especially hard for us. It feels good to just gaze and not hear pain or anger or fear.</p>
<p>All the squabbles and struggles that I have do not compare with those of some others on this great planet. There are no boundary lines, no political arguments, no up or no down. What is, is. For right now, the scenes offer tranquility. Just the photographer and camera and me. This day has been especially hard for us. It feels good to just gaze and not hear pain or anger or fear.</p> His Dark Materials and the Catholic Churchtag:atheistnexus.org,2016-10-12:2182797:Topic:27126582016-10-12T18:45:41.500ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p>I recently watched the movie, "The Golden Compass" and since I could not find the sequels, I read the books. I enjoyed them, and I will be reading the first one, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Northern Lights,</span> starting tomorrow, since it just arrived via inter-library loan. During my research to locate the sequels, I found an article about why the other two books in the series, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Subtle Knife</span> and…</p>
<p>I recently watched the movie, "The Golden Compass" and since I could not find the sequels, I read the books. I enjoyed them, and I will be reading the first one, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Northern Lights,</span> starting tomorrow, since it just arrived via inter-library loan. During my research to locate the sequels, I found an article about why the other two books in the series, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Subtle Knife</span> and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Amber Spyglass,</span> were not made into a movie. Here is the link: <a href="http://freethinker.co.uk/2009/12/16/there-will-be-no-sequels-to-the-golden-compass-because-of-catholic-pressure/">http://freethinker.co.uk/2009/12/16/there-will-be-no-sequels-to-the-golden-compass-because-of-catholic-pressure/</a> . </p>
<p></p>
<p>This article, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/dec/15/golden-compass-sam-elliot-catholic-church">https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/dec/15/golden-compass-sam-elliot-catholic-church</a> , makes a point how other things that the Catholic Church "hates" were successful, such as "Harry Potter" and "The Da Vinci Code". I have seen all those movies and, I must be blind, because I do not see anything AGAINST the Catholic Church in them. As a side note, I used to be Christian, so, I do not understand why a Christian author would write stories involving magic, since the bible specifically states to avoid such things. I also will make it a point that the "Lord of the Rings" series is written by a Christian author, involved magic, and is successful.</p>
<p>The only difference I see between the successful movies that the Catholic Church supposedly hates and the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">His Dark Materials</span> collection is that in either <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Subtle Knife</span> and/or <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Amber Spyglass</span>, the belief in a god and afterlife is blatantly disagreed with and further states that religion/god is evil and that the church is an evil creation of men used to control and dumb down the masses. I do not know if anything like that is written in the first novel of the series. My opinion is that it is not the content of the movie (magic, etc.), but the outright calling of the church as evil is why the Catholic Church [supposedly] hindered the creation of sequels. Also, whereas the other authors are Christian, Pullman has stated that he is a Atheist. That can be considered as another reason why the Church "hates" the series. This is from Wikipedia :</p>
<p></p>
<p>Pullman is a supporter of the <a title="British Humanist Association" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Humanist_Association">British Humanist Association</a> and an Honorary Associate of the <a title="National Secular Society" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Secular_Society">National Secular Society</a>. He has called himself an atheist, though adding, "I am a Church of England atheist, and a 1662 Book of Common Prayer atheist, because that’s the tradition I was brought up in”,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-atheist01_40-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pullman#cite_note-atheist01-40"><font size="2">[39]</font></a></sup> he has also said he is technically an <a title="Agnostic" class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic">agnostic</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-agnostic01_41-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pullman#cite_note-agnostic01-41"><font size="2">[40]</font></a></sup> Pullman has singled out certain elements of Christianity for criticism : "if there is a God, and he is as the Christians describe him, then he deserves to be put down and rebelled against".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-agnostic01_41-1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pullman#cite_note-agnostic01-41"><font size="2">[40]</font></a></sup> However, Pullman has also said that his argument can extend to all religions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Thirdway_42-0"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pullman#cite_note-Thirdway-42"><font size="2">[41]</font></a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pullman#cite_note-43"><font size="2">[42]</font></a></sup> Pullman has also referred to himself as knowingly "of the Devil's party", a reference to William Blake's revisionist take on Milton in <i><a title="The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Heaven_and_Hell">The Marriage of Heaven and Hell</a></i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pullman#cite_note-44"><font size="2">[43]</font></a></sup></p>
<p>On 15 September 2010, Pullman along with 54 other public figures (including <a title="Stephen Fry" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Fry">Stephen Fry</a>, Professor <a title="Richard Dawkins" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dawkins">Richard Dawkins</a>, <a title="Terry Pratchett" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Pratchett">Terry Pratchett</a>, <a title="Jonathan Miller" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Miller">Jonathan Miller</a> and <a title="Ken Follett" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Follett">Ken Follett</a>) signed an open letter, published in <i><a title="The Guardian" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian">The Guardian</a></i> newspaper, stating their opposition to <a title="Pope Benedict XVI" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI">Pope Benedict XVI</a> being given "the honour of a state visit" to the UK; the letter argued that the Pope has led and condoned global abuses of human rights, leading a state which has "resisted signing many major human rights treaties and has formed its own treaties ("concordats") with many states which negatively affect the human rights of citizens of those states".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Pullman#cite_note-45"><font size="2">[</font></a></sup></p>
<p></p>
<p>Another interesting link: <a href="http://www.tor.com/2013/09/24/banned-books-week-philip-pullmans-his-dark-materials/">http://www.tor.com/2013/09/24/banned-books-week-philip-pullmans-his-dark-materials/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>I would like to read the thoughts and opinions of others in this group concerning this matter. Thanks!</p>
<p></p>
<p></p> Issues Atheist, Feminist, GLBTQ, Climate Changetag:atheistnexus.org,2016-10-05:2182797:Topic:27119232016-10-05T01:56:53.335ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p></p>
<p>This is a test </p>
<p></p>
<p>This is a test </p> punishing doubt (TheraminTrees)tag:atheistnexus.org,2016-09-06:2182797:Topic:27081532016-09-06T20:27:50.470ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p>If you are associated with religion and especially a fundamentalist religion, doubt is intolerable. Certainty, however it may be achieved or imposed, becomes a necessary element, especially considering the utter dearth of any form of evidence or other means of substantiation religions suffer from. Doubt can lead to questioning, questioning to investigation, and investigation to that awkward discovery that the emperor is indeed wearing nothing other than his birthday suit. And that won't…</p>
<p>If you are associated with religion and especially a fundamentalist religion, doubt is intolerable. Certainty, however it may be achieved or imposed, becomes a necessary element, especially considering the utter dearth of any form of evidence or other means of substantiation religions suffer from. Doubt can lead to questioning, questioning to investigation, and investigation to that awkward discovery that the emperor is indeed wearing nothing other than his birthday suit. And that won't do.<br/><br/>The need to punish doubt is, as a result, a stock component of religious practice. This fact hasn't escaped the attention of YouTube producer, TheraminTrees, who has delivered for our edification and enjoyment, a comprehensive look at doubt and how religion attempts to expunge it from its ranks.<br/><br/>Please enjoy.<br/><br/><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bdTZBVlg3nI?wmode=opaque" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p> Morally Bankrupt Christian Sex Hang-Ups Turned Zika into a Brain Damage Crisistag:atheistnexus.org,2016-09-02:2182797:Topic:27075892016-09-02T23:24:49.463ZShyanne Gold Orrhttp://atheistnexus.org/profile/ShyanneGoldOrr
<p><a href="https://valerietarico.com/2016/09/02/morally-bankrupt-christian-sex-hang-ups-turned-zika-into-a-brain-damage-crisis/" target="_blank">Morally Bankrupt Christian Sex Hang-Ups Turned Zika into a Brain Damage Crisis</a></p>
<blockquote><p><em>God may have created the Zika virus, but it’s His friends and followers who have turned it into a devastating epidemic of brain damage.</em></p>
<p>Zika could have been an ordinary epidemic like the ever-changing influenza that emerges each winter…</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://valerietarico.com/2016/09/02/morally-bankrupt-christian-sex-hang-ups-turned-zika-into-a-brain-damage-crisis/" target="_blank">Morally Bankrupt Christian Sex Hang-Ups Turned Zika into a Brain Damage Crisis</a></p>
<blockquote><p><em>God may have created the Zika virus, but it’s His friends and followers who have turned it into a devastating epidemic of brain damage.</em></p>
<p>Zika could have been an ordinary epidemic like the ever-changing influenza that emerges each winter and spreads across the Northern Hemisphere with sad but rare complications. But the Religious Right’s antagonism to birth control and abortion (and honest conversation about sex in general) has transformed the Zika epidemic into a nightmare that will devastate lives for an entire generation.</p>
<p>In the absence of pregnancy, Zika isn’t usually a big deal. Only one in five people who contract Zika experience symptoms, and those who do mostly feel like they’ve gotten the flu. This is not to say Zika never does lasting harm to adults, just that—like the flu—those cases appear to be rare.</p>
<p>The difference, as most people now know, is that getting Zika while pregnant is really, really bad. The virus attacks the fetal nervous system, eating brain structures that have already developed and blocking development of others. Even babies that look normal may be damaged for life. Unlike the flu, when it comes to Zika, <a href="https://valerietarico.com/2016/08/16/fighting-zika-with-zika-should-couples-who-want-healthy-babies-deliberately-expose-themselves-to-zika/">pregnancy prevention or timing is everything</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=zuka+babies&amp;safe=active&amp;espv=2&amp;biw=1054&amp;bih=507&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi6mLjm6fHOAhULxWMKHSdoD14Q_AUIBygC" target="_blank">Zika babies</a></p>